Robbery similar to 2012 Defence Colony heist

NEW DELHI: There are stark similarities between the Lajpat Nagar cash robbery and the Defence Colony heist which had taken place in the same area and wherein robbers looted Rs 5.25 crore from a cash van after shooting dead its guard in September 2012. They even have the same investigating chief, joint commissioner of police Vivek Gogia.

In both cases, the robbers used the bottleneck near flyovers to their advantage. They fled with the vehicle carrying cash instead of stealing the cash at the spot. A driver has freeway of around two kilometers once he is on the Defence Colony flyover, said an officer.

According to a traffic expert, it is difficult to spot a particular vehicle from a stream of vehicles travelling on a straight stretch. In both cases, the robbers conducted heist during peak hours and the rush hour traffic provided them a camouflage.

The stretch between Moolchand flyover and Lajpat Nagar flyover has a lot of slip roads that connect to several major roads, providing robbers an easy escape route. In 2012, the driver had parked the vehicle on a slip road that connects the lanes within the colony and ultimately joins Bhishma Pitamah Marg. The robbers used a similar getaway plan on Tuesday. The robbers, in both the cases, used stolen vehicles to follow the target. Though there are checks on vehicles on the stretch at night, it's impossible to do it during the morning rush as the BRT remains heavy all throughout the day, said an officer.

The cops suspect involvement of insiders and history-sheeters of the area, as was the case in 2012 heist.

However, on Tuesday, the cops quickly tracked both the cars, unlike the 2012 heist when the vehicle was traced after 16 hours although it was parked in a south Delhi area.

fact that the robbers managed to flee in several cars after such a brazen crime on such a busy stretch indicates that they were prepared to take on any obstacle- the police or the public.